“[ Employees ] are also stressed . They are also going through the same process that we are as leaders , [ but ] in a different way .”
– VIVIANA QUESADA JIMENEZ
TRAINING TAKEAWAYS Though spa leaders are likely the people making policy decisions around guest service , a spa ’ s frontline workers are most likely the ones executing those policies . For that reason , multiple panelists expressed the importance of thoroughly training staff to manage bookings and other guest interactions to minimize potential conflict and make guests feel well served .“ We may not have a primetime service available for every guest ,” said Simon Marxer , area spa operations analyst at Miraval Group .“ So we need to approach that conversation with an understanding that providing options is going to be fundamentally helpful , as well as building a connection and being an agent for that guest , and not necessarily a gatekeeper .”
Fisher Island Club Director of Spa & Fitness Charlotte Prescott echoes Marxer ’ s sentiment .“ I think alternatives are super important ,” Prescott explained .“ So … what we ’ re training our staff on is to , rather than saying no , give an alternative , give another option . Cross-promote other services that maybe they wouldn ’ t [ ordinarily ] do .” Scott Vazinski , executive spa director at The Spa at Yellow Creek , has been coaching his staff on booking treatments strategically , making sure to build a schedule that reduces the likelihood of conflicts if services run long due to extended sanitation
periods between treatments .“ We ’ re of high demand can allow spas to calling it an ‘ anticipatory booking .’ Anticipate that the first appointment of adapt to periods of intense demand .
the day at nine o ’ clock isn ’ t going to STAND BEHIND THE TEAM end until 10:30 , so give them that No matter how well a spa staff has 10:30 slot .” been trained to preemptively address By proactively training staff to set possible guest frustrations , it is of clear expectations ahead of a guest ’ s course still possible for guests to , as arrival may be one of the simplest , yet Simon Marxer put it ,“ exceed the most effective ways to head off potential guest frustration before it starts . those instances , the Town Hall pan-
bounds of appropriate behavior .” In
Everything from encouraging regular elists agreed that leaders must act guests to book standing appointments to adjusting service provider their employees .“ We need to jeal-
decisively in taking steps to support
shifts to align more fully with periods ously guard the well-being of our
Relying on Resource Partners
As panelist Scott Vazinski noted , increased levels of demand for spa services does more than create potential issues with guests . It also makes it difficult to find convenient times to provide thorough training to therapists , especially new hires . For spa leaders in that situation , Vazinski advises working closely with resource partners to find ways to support service providers , even if they can ’ t deliver onsite trainings as in the past .“ I think the biggest thing is being able to provide direct access to whoever your rep is … making it a point to make sure that you ’ re scheduling phone calls and setting time aside for the people on your team to be a part of those conversations and [ be ] prepared ,” Vazinski said . To make the most of the representative ’ s available time , he also encouraged attendees to detail their team ’ s needs ahead of time by creating an itinerary that the representative can use to focus on what ’ s most pressing .
OCTOBER 2021 � PULSE 51